POSITION: REGISTERED DIETITIAN
DEPARTMENT: NUTRITION & FOOD SERVICES
REPORTS TO: MANAGER OF Support Services
Plan A Senior Care Staffing and Recruitment is the only staffing strategy in Canada focused specifically on seniors’ care. Our strategy marries people and culture to innovation to help Long Term Care and Retirement homes optimize their staffing. Our goal is to ensure senior care organizations across our country have access to a strategy that keeps their employees supported and their residents safe and cared for.
We are on a mission to find the most compassionate and dependable professionals to provide quality care to seniors in Canada. At Plan A, we take care of the people who take care of our most vulnerable people. We recognize the importance of balancing work and life. We value your time and encourage you to take the reins of your career while enjoying what you love to do.
We are currently looking for a Registered Dietitian for one of our long-standing partners at their established long-term care home.
POSITION SUMMARY:
The Dietitian is responsible for nutritional assessment, nutritional care planning, implementation and follow-up for residents. The Dietitian provides knowledge and expertise in the areas of Nutrition & Food Services based on compliance with MOH-LTC Standards and Best Practice Guidelines for Nutritional Care.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:
Direct Resident Clinical Responsibilities of the RD include but are not limited to:
- Assessing nutrition status for all residents on admission, annually and whenever there is a significant change in status;
- Determining each resident’s level of nutrition and hydration risk in order to determine needed interventions and follow-up care;
- Developing a nutrition plan of care for each newly admitted resident;
- Evaluating and modifying, as needed, the nutrition plan of care for residents being followed by the RD, on an ongoing basis;
- Determines an individualized resident’s/patient’s diet and other nutritional interventions to meet his or her needs by involving the resident, family members and care team
- Completing resident nutrition care charting and documentation for residents being followed by the RD;
- Providing nutrition / dietary counseling / education for residents and / or their caregivers, family members or substitute decision makers for the purpose of supporting optimum resident nutrition care;
- Monitoring residents at high nutrition risk and those at moderate risk who are considered by the RD to require ongoing RD monitoring, as required but Quarterly, at a minimum;
- Ensuring that all other residents (those at low risk and those at moderate risk who are considered stable by the RD), are monitored Quarterly, at a minimum, by the Support Service Coordinator;
- Provide mealtime observations of residents to assess for swallowing impairment, adaptive aids or other interventions; and
- Consult with the Speech Language Pathologist as needed in the assessment and management of residents with Dysphagia.
Indirect Resident Clinical Responsibilities of the RD include but are not limited to:
- Participating as a member of the interdisciplinary resident care team at resident care conferences, through attendance or providing input, as scheduling allows;
- Participating on other appropriate interdisciplinary committees such as the Palliative Care, Pharmacy and Ethics; Medication Review
- Participating as a key member of the Home’s Care Teams, such as Skin / Wound Care, Bowel Management;
- Providing support for the Home’s Restorative Feeding and Dining Program;
- Coordinating the continuous quality improvement of the Nutrition Care and Hydration program; contributing to the continuous quality improvement of the Dietary Services and Dining Programs, in collaboration with Food Supervisor; and
- Providing direction / overseeing the nutrition component of the Home’s Enteral Feeding Program; developing relevant policies and procedures, or reviewing / revising corporate policies to meet the Home’s needs;
- Providing nutrition / dietary in-service education for Dietary and Nursing staff and other multidisciplinary team members, annually as required; core in-service sessions that should be considered include:
- Dietary Staff Nutrition Orientation
- Hydration
- Feeding / Dysphagia Management
- Pleasurable Dining
- Bowel Management
- Weight Monitoring
Administrative Responsibilities:
- Reviewing and approving all menus, including those for therapeutic and texture modified diets and snack menus, whenever a new cycle is introduced, annually,
- Ensuring systems are in place to facilitate communication between Nursing and Dietary departments for managing communication regarding nutrition issues, including a referral system to the RD and communication of nutrition plans of care to all team members;
- Developing, implementing and evaluating nutrition care services and policies related to the interdisciplinary care for the following, in keeping with the established protocols
- Enteral nutrition
- Hydration
- Dysphagia / difficulty chewing
- Significant weight change and slow unintended weight loss
- Food allergies / sensitivities / intolerances
- Nutrition and drug interactions
- Emesis and / or diarrhea lasting more than 72 hours
- Skin integrity
- Bowel management
- Palliative care
- Diseases and medical conditions with specific nutrition components eg. diabetes, renal disease, celiac disease, lactose intolerance and gastrointestinal impairments
- Changed appetite / refusal to eat
- Very low body weight or physical signs of malnutrition
- Anorexia / failure to thrive
- Severe obesity
- Developing, implementing and evaluating nutrition care services and policies related to the following areas, working with the Food Supervisor where appropriate, and advising administration as needed:
- Resident nutrition care programs, with special consideration of the resident population’s language, religious, culture and nutrient needs;
- Resident menus and menu development, including process for consultation with residents
- Therapeutic diets, texture diets, texture modified foods
- Nutrition supplements
- Restorative feeding and dining
- Pleasurable dining
- Managing behavioral issues as related to nutrition care
- Ethical issues (e.g. regarding enteral feeding, refusal of treatment)
- Collaborating with the Support Service Coordinators and Manager, providing advice and assistance, in the development of dietary services administration policies and procedures related to:
- Food production
- Meal and snack service
- Safety and sanitation
- Disaster planning
- Documentation includes but is not limited to:
- Assessment of nutrition status / completion of RAPs, according to the RAI-MDS process and timelines and as determined by the Home’s policies and procedures;
- Identification of residents’ nutrition / hydration risk levels;
- Development of nutrition plans of care with individualized, realistic and measurable goals and interventions;
- Reassessment of the effectiveness of goals and interventions for individual residents on an ongoing basis;
- Ensuring the accuracy of diet orders, food texture and fluid consistency in all documentation, e.g. MARS, plan of care, point of service information, progress notes, reports and consultations;
- Input for interdisciplinary resident care conferences;
- Consultations with other residents and / or their caregivers, family members or substitute decision makers; and
- Plans for discharge, as appropriate.
Supervisory Duties
- Assist Support Service Coordinators and Manager with daily duties as needed, and as time allows;
- Supervision of Dietary staff and provide guidance/direction during meal service and food preparation;
- Provide education to dietary staff about resident nutrition care, diet textures, and therapeutic menus
- Ensure care plan changes are made appropriately and communicated to all staff.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor and/or Master’s degree in Nutrition, Dietetics or related field.
- Member in good standing of College of Dietitians of Ontario (CDO);
- Ability to understand and work harmoniously with non professionals and professionals;
- Flexibility and patience in dealing with people and problems;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills;
- Knowledge or training in adult education techniques;
- Ability to maintain high professional and ethical standards
- Good interpersonal relationships;
EXPERIENCE:
- Minimum of two years recent work experience as a Dietitian
- Experience with supervision, design of therapeutics and menus
- Experience working with the geriatric population-long term care preferred.
LANGUAGE SKILLS:
- Must be fluent in the English language to follow verbal and written instructions.
- Bilingualism is an asset.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position.
While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to stand, use hands to handle or feel; and taste or smell. The employee is frequently required to walk and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to sit; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee must regularly lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and peripheral vision.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this position.
An employee must adhere to specific appearance guidelines and comply with all procedures and working techniques under regulations of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
Pay: $40.00-$45.00 per hour
Application question(s):
- Do you have a Bachelor and/or Master’s degree in Nutrition, Dietetics or related field?
Licence/Certification:
- Member of College of Dietitians of Ontario (CDO) (required)
Work Location: In person
